Fragrance of love

34. FORGIVE ME

Author’s POV

As Saransh stepped outside the room, his hands were trembling uncontrollably. His mind was a whirlwind of fear, regret, and desperation. The once confident man now looked completely lost. His mother, watching him with eyes full of concern, quickly approached and gently said, "Come here, son, sit down."

Saransh barely registered her words as she guided him to sit on the bench. His eyes were red, his face pale, and silent tears streamed down his cheeks. He didn’t say a word, too consumed by the fear gnawing at him.

His mother’s heart ached seeing him like this. “Saransh, kya hua? Kuch to bol,” she urged, her voice soft and filled with worry.

But Saransh couldn’t form any words. Instead, he slowly leaned forward and placed his head in his mother’s lap, as if seeking the comfort he hadn’t realized he needed. In that moment, all the emotions he had held inside broke free. He began crying—deep, gut-wrenching sobs that echoed the fear of losing someone who meant everything to him. His mother, tears in her own eyes, gently stroked his hair, offering him the only solace she could in that moment.

Saransh, struggling to find his voice between sobs, stuttered, “Maa… m-me usse khona nahi chahta... m-me usse pyaar karta hoon, Maa.”

His mother, hearing the depth of pain in his words, felt her heart shatter. She continued to stroke his hair gently, her own tears falling silently. “Beta, sab theek ho jaayega. Tumhara pyaar usse wapas laayega,” she whispered, trying to hold back her own fear.

Saransh clung to his mother’s comforting presence, his mind racing with memories of Shanaya—how she had brought meaning into his life, how much he truly loved her, and how unbearable the thought of losing her was. All he could do was pray silently, hoping his love would be enough to bring her back to him.

Saransh lay there in his mother's lap, the weight of everything pressing down on him. His heart was heavy, and every breath felt like a struggle. “Maa… I never told her. I never told her how much she means to me. What if… what if it’s too late?” His voice cracked, trembling under the pressure of the unspoken words that had been locked inside for so long.

His mother’s eyes softened as she looked down at him. She knew the depth of his love for Shanaya, even if he hadn’t realized it until now. “Beta, it's never too late. Jab wo theek ho jaayegi, tum usse sab kuch bata dena. Usse yeh samajhna hoga ki tumhara pyaar kitna gehra hai.”

Saransh nodded weakly, clinging to her words as a lifeline. But deep inside, fear still gnawed at him. *What if I never get the chance?* The thought echoed in his mind, and fresh tears brimmed in his eyes.

Suddenly, the hospital corridor felt too cold, too quiet, except for the sound of his own sobs and his mother's gentle, reassuring words. Time seemed to stretch endlessly as Saransh sat there, waiting, hoping, praying that Shanaya would come out of this—because the thought of a life without her was unbearable.

Minutes felt like hours as he remained on the bench, his head still resting in his mother’s lap. The uncertainty was suffocating, but Saransh held onto one thing—his love for Shanaya. He just needed her to open her eyes, to give him one more chance to tell her everything he had left unsaid.

Meanwhile, standing a few steps away, Ikshit and Shruti exchanged stunned glances. Saransh’s words had hit them hard. They had known about the contract marriage, but hearing him confess his love for Shanaya so openly, and with such raw emotion, left them speechless.

Ikshit, who had always seen Saransh as the composed, in-control person, now saw a different side of his friend—a vulnerable, broken man deeply in love. “I had no idea…,” Ikshit whispered, still processing what he had just heard.